Olympic Bloodshed
by QueenPalkia
Summary: I've never really liked the Light vs Dark games hosted here in Skyworld. But, at Palutena's request, I am now a Fighter in the annual LVD tournament, with the enitre pantheon watching. And now, things are starting to take a turn for the worst...
1. Recap

_**Olympic Bloodshed**_

**~*Chapter I*~**

**Recap**

My name is Ethan and I'm fourteen years old. A few months ago, I joined the sports of Skyworld as a Fighter. And though I wanted to participate in a specific sport, they tossed me into Free-for-All for being the newbie.

My life playing in battles where it was every man for himself was actually quite entertaining. I got good. They rewarded me with a lot of weapons and I met some new faces, as well as those of well-known Fighters who always kicked my ass. Still, it was a lot of fun, no matter how many times I died.

I really wish my life would go back to such simplicity. What's happening right now is too hectic, too stressing. A guy my age shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of problems. I've got people on both sides pressuring me to join them, a best friend who enjoys beating me up, and a huge crowd of roaring angels and gods to impress.

Yeah. Free-for-All Fighters have the easy part. I can't understand why I even ever _thought_ about joining Light vs. Dark.

Let's recap. This all started two weeks ago.

* * *

Sweat trailed down my forehead as I jumped to my side and crashed against a wall, narrowly avoiding the mighty blow from my opponent's Ogre Club. The massive weapon dented the stone, and became stuck. As the green Fighter struggled to retrive her heavy weapon, I got back on my feet. Not having the time to focus on my target, I swung my Samurai Blade, and the green Fighter's arm fell onto the hot ground. I swung again andsimply dented her armor, but I managed to knock her back into the lava below. Light erupted from where she was supposed to land, and somewhere in the upper level of the stage, she respawned, body good as new.

With that being my seventh kill, I moved on to my next target. The closest to me was a yellow Fighter with a Predator Cannon, so I went after him. But just as I neared the pink jump pad, I received multiple slashes to my back in a flash. My armor was scratched but protected me from heavy damage, but I was knocked back and paralyzed. My body wouldn't do what I told it to, and it was so hard just to stand back up. But when I did, I saw my assailant was none other than my best friend, the fighter in armor as black as a shark's eyes.

Being the jerk he was, he didn't wait for me to recover, and struck with a backward dash charge shot. And it hit me right in the face. I really, really, despised his Viridi Claws. He loved them. He fired at me with charged shots until I recovered and lunged. Our melee attacks clashed, and we circled around each other without managing to get a single hit in. But then I messed up, made a wrong move, and I was defeated, blown back into the red pool of pain. Just as my body came in contact with it, I was englufed in a white light, and lifted elsewhere.

I respawned at the upper level and had perfect view of all the Fighters. I saw my friend evading shots from a sniper with a Laser Staff. This was my chance to get him! But before I could take a single step, my body froze, and the announcer boomed.

"_Game_!"

Everything stopped and all of the defeated Fighters respawned. As always, our weapons lost their power now that the match was over. We just waited fro the end results.

"And the winner is…Chary!"

The crowd surrounding the stage applauded as the top three scoring Fighters struck their victory pose. I was ranking third, of course, with my best friend having the most kills. He just gave a sheepish smile and waved once. The other three Fighters were slumped on the ground clapping for us like they were supposed to, actually wanting to see us dipped in the boiling red at the center of the stage.

A light surrounded us, and we were teleported away from the Lava Basin. It always felt really cool; being lifted into the air, blinking, and suddenly appearing elsewhere. Now I was back at the lobby, a big room with bright colored walls and benches everywhere. Each Fighter has a centurion assistant that helps them access their armory through a magic chest. My assistant's always really reliable, but unlike some more corrupt Fighters, I don't make him run errands for me.

Chary approached me as he took off his black helmet. He quickly scratched his head to get his short hair messy how he likes it. "So, Ethan," he started. "Good game out there!"

"You too," I replied. "So when's the next one starting? I can go another round!"

My centurion arrived then with the tiny treasure chest. He placed it on the ground and it magically regained its original size. "Here you go," he said before flying off.

I opened the blue and gold chest to find it nearly empty as always. I sheathed my dear Samurai Blade, which had a 100 in value, and carefully placed it inside. I unbuckled my power belt and put it away too before closing the treasure chest. I would wait untilmy centurion came back for it.

"Oh, there won't be another one. Remember? That was the last Free-for-All for now." Chary replied when I put away my palm. I looked at him and laughed.

"No, seriously, when is it?"

"I'm not kidding," then he looked at me funny. "Can't believe you forgot about LVD!"

I frowned. Yes. I'd completely forgotten what today was; the end of the Free-for-All season. Next week was the beginning of the Light vs Dark season, along with the annual tournament that everyone had been looking forward to but me. It was time for me to hang my ginger armor in the closet and just sit at home stuffing my face waiting for the games to end.

Chary, on the other hand, was excited about it, since he was one of few Fighters who fought in both games. "I don't like you anymore," I said and walked away from him.

"Hey!" He called after me. "You can't just abandon the conversation!"

"Yes I can," I shouted back. "Watch me." I stepped onto the teleportation pad that would take me home. Chary gave up on going after me and just waved.

"Eh, I'm tired. See ya." He dipped his head into his armory chest and began to rummage around it, and knowing him, he wouldn't emerge from it for a good twenty minutes.

So I pressed the button and everything, but the thing wasn't working. All the other fighters had already gone home but Chary and I, thanks to this stupid orange pad. "Come on, _work_," I begged it. Unresponsive. I just wanted to go home and eat some cereal!

I was just about to ask Chary for a ride home when the oak double-doors of the lobby swung open loudly. A pair of centurion strongarms suddenly appeared at either side of a shaggy guy in a tunic. My guess was that he was a Fighter in casual clothes.

"Are you Ethan?" The shaggy guy asked.

"Um...yup." I replied. He put his hand to his chin and scanned me up and down. Not like I was some kinda statute in exhibition…

"They've sent me to inform you Lady Palutena wants to see you."

I just stood there like a moron thinking about what I'd just been told. So, Lady Palutena wanted to see me? As in, the goddess of light and wisdom? The ruler of Skyworld? THAT Palutena? "You must have the wrong Ethan." I said, though I do admit I'm very charming.

"Hm…take your helmet off." The shaggy guy demanded.

"My helmet? No!" My hair was seriously unkempt. But the dude gave me a glare, and my ginger helmet went off. One of the centurion strongarms handed him a note.

"Yup. Brown eyes, brown hair; fits the description," the guy said. "You're our Ethan. Time to go see Lady Palutena." He received a small, pink puzzle piece from another centurion and abruptly grabbed my wrist.

"Hey!" I complained. "Not co..."

My surroundings had already changed. Instead of the bright lobby walls and the benches against them, I saw pure white marble and glass flooring. Multiple doors were to my left and right, and to my front there was a blinding light. Shaggy (the guy's new nickname) let me go.

"Here you go, Lady Palutena! The ginger Fighter, Ethan," Shaggy chirped as he waved at the blob of light. "I'll be going now," and with that, he was gone with the centurions.

The blob of white mixed with green. Then it took a tall shape, and then the blue angelic symbol of the goddess of light appeared behind it. Palutena stood there before me. She bent over, picked up her staff, and stood right up to smile at me.

Lady Palutena was a lot more beautiful in person. Her hair was like an emerald waterfall, going right down to her feet. Her skin: pale and flawless. Her eyes: like big jewels. Her attire was elegant as one might imagine, with a lot of expensive gold as her accessories. My eyes were wide.

Okay. So I'd never met Palutena face to face, but my parents had taught me that if I was ever in her presence, I had to be respectful and polite. So I bowed down to the goddess of light, noticing how nervous I was feeling. Was I in trouble or something? "Lady Palutena, I am honored to be in your presence."

She giggled. Maybe she saw I was shaking. "I like your manners," she said, and then she did a teasing bow herself, holding the sides of her dress as she did. I guessed it was time for me to regain my cool and stood up. "Ethan, the ginger," she muttered. "Why are you still in armor?"

"Um, I haven't had a chance to bathe yet, your holiness." I could feel my undershirt glued to my skin with stinky sweat.

"Oh, right. You just got out of the ring." She slapped her own forehead. "Anyway, down to business. ETHAN!"

I jumped. "Yes, your holiness?"

"As you know, the Free for All season has come to a close," she said, taking a seat on her glamorous throne. I suppressed a groan. "And to open the Light versus Dark season, I'll be hosting a tournament."

I had a bad feeling in my gut about this. And my gut was always right.

"You are a great warrior. Thus, I'd love for you to take part in the upcoming games."

There it was. Lady Palutena was personally asking me to become an overall Fighter. Was that smugness I was feeling now? Knowing that_ Palutena_ thought I was one of the best? Well, I always did try my hardest. Problem was: I'd never participated in LVD before. I hardly ever watched the matches. I didn't care much for those games. Until now, that is. And how could I say no to an almighty goddess with the power to kill me with the flick of a single finger? Or with a whack from that heavy-looking staff?

"You are free to decline my request," Palutena said with a sad tone, finding interest in the floor. I couldn't tell if it was genuine disappointment. She's been known to play mind games. Even so, my mind was already set.

"I am honored. I'll gladly fight in Light versus Dark, your holiness." I accepted, then bowed. My armor made a _clank_ each time I moved, and the sound echoed around the immense temple. I hoped Palutena didn't mind.

"Wonderful!" Lady Palutena clapped and smiled. She stood up and looked me right in the eye. "Since you are new to the sport, you'll need a teacher. After you training, you may decide which team you want to join." She informed, writing something down on a notepad she took out of nowhere.

"Don't I get to pick one now? What about the armor?" I inquired.

"Your measurements will also be taken after your training," she replied. She turned around, and a pedestal of some sort rose from the ground to meet her hand, emanating light.

"My training?" Hadn't she said I was good enough? Why did I need to train? I knew all there was to fighting!

"Of course," she said. "Light versus Dark is nothing like Free for All. You will need to practice, and I think I know the perfect teacher." The pedestal was some kind of screen, and (my guess) she was scrolling through the profiles of potential teachers for me. She lighty punched the screen, and suddenly a door to my left swung open.

Accompanied by two centurion strongarms as bodyguards came a Fighter clad in blood red armor. He walked in casually, arms crossed. He got in front of me and looked me dead in the eye, and through the glass of his helmet, I could barely notice dark brown irises. This guy was a lot taller than me. And I didn't like that cocky smirk he took on after examining me.

"Ethan, I'd like you to meet your new instructor." Palutena chirped. She yanked on our arms and forced us to shake hands. I was stupefied. Who knew she could be aggressive? "Be friends."

"Uh...hey. I'm Ethan," but of course he already knew that. I was just that stupid. He literally squeezed my hand and shook roughly.

"I know! I'm Queen." She said...wait...SHE said? A girl? My instructor was a girl? A girl _taller than me_? "You and I are gonna have some _fun_."

I didn't like the sound of that.

* * *

**Okay. Faithful readers of mine, I know what you're thinking: "ANOTHER STORY? REALLY?" But it's not my fault. Lately, I've been obssesed with Kid Icarus: Uprising, so I made a facebook group for online play. My friends there wanted me to write them a fic...so here it is. However, I promise this will not get in the way of my Hunger Games fic (which I haven't updated due to me losing my USB, where I had 5 chapters done) and my pokemon fic, OA. I AM HOWEVER HAVING FUN WITH THE PLANS FOR THIS ONE.**

**ABOUT THE ACTUAL FIC: I warn you of OCs. However, I am not accepting OCs from readers. I already received the ones I'll be using. **

**There wasn't much action here because, well, it's the introduction chapter, but the second WILL have some enjoyable slashing and slicing and hitting and hurting. I really hope you give my story a chance.**

**Read and review! If you don't, I won't care less! If you do, I'll be able to sleep at night!**

**-ALL HAIL DA QUEEN! **


	2. Fiery Comrade

**I suggest readers who need battle advice read this entire thing. At least 40% of the chapter ended up being a battle guide. Oh, well. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Kid Icarus is not mine and belongs to Sakurai YADA YADA YADA...ON WITH THE DAMN FIC.**

**Derp. **

* * *

_**Olympic Bloodshed**_

**~*Chapter II*~**

**Fiery Comrade**

Day One

I arose from bed that morning feeling quite crappy. I got dressed in my light blue tunic with some shorts underneath, and grabbed my mini treasure chest. I had my cereal, grabbed a small box to go, and left my house to head to my instructor's, where she would be training me.

The night before, I'd done some research using the magazines regarding the Skyworld sports, recent and old ones. Almost on every issue, I heard mention of Queen, and she was often addressed as the "Angel Hunter" as I read. She was one of the best Fighters in Skyworld, best known for her wide weapon variety. According to a certain issue, she changed her weapon each match as to not bore the crowd. The most recent issue told me she was fifteen years old. No wonder she was taller than me.

I just wanted to be sure about who I would be spending my time with for the next few days before the start of the games. I didn't like the way she'd talked to me and smiled at me. I was always wary of new people.

The walk to my instructor's house took about half an hour, but she'd told me I could take my time and arrive whenever. Her place looked small, nothing special. White walls, a roof held up by columns wrapped in ivy. Her front door looked a little beat up, and before it was a welcoming matt. I knocked once. Twice. She replied at the third knock.

"Coming!" The door swung open. I was surprised to see my instructor already fully clothed in armor but in the middle of brushing her teeth. That didn't give me a friendly vibe at all. She motioned me inside with her hand and ran off somewhere else. I was in her living room, occupied by a couch, a dinning table, and a lot of random junk. I could faintly hear music in the background.

Queen came down a set of stairs, having disposed of her toothbrush. "You got here earlier than I expected," she said. "But that's fine. Means we can get things done soon. Follow me!"

She went down a set of stairs. I followed. Below was a battlefield bigger than her own house, with damaged stone flooring and beat up dummies everywhere. Half of the place was indoors, but there was a glass door that gave way to the outdoor side, which looked a lot cleaner and livelier thanks to a few flowers here and there.

"Whoa," I said. "And you live here?"

"Yup. I don't have much else to do, so I built a training area." She pointed toward a wall that was occupied by a huge shelf on which was a huge variety of weapons. "That's my armory. You can borrow anything you want. Just put it back where you found it!"

I went to a corner to equip my armor, but Queen stopped me and took my treasure chest from me. When I tried to get it back, she put it on top of her weapon shelf, out of my reach. "You won't be needing that yet." She said.

"Okay so," I tried not to insult her. Now my armor was up there gathering dust. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I just want to know one thing," she said. "What's your strategy?"

"My strategy?" I was hesitant, but, hey, what were the chances of facing her in a match? I could tell her. "Attack and evade."

"Evading, huh?" She went to the far corner of the shelf. Her voice echoed. When she came back, her entire, bare left arm was tattooed red, with flaming rings dancing around it. It was a Burning Palm. I stepped back a bit. I owned one of those once, but I gave it away; the slightest contact of it on skin seriously _hurt_. "Do you like dodgeball?"

I couldn't see how that had to do with anything. "Yeah, I love it." I replied. And I was pretty good at it, too.

"Well then," there was a conveniently-placed yellow ball on the floor. She picked it up with one hand. "Have you ever heard of _extreme_ dodgeball?"

Extreme dodgeball? Nope. Never heard of it. I wasn't sure if it even existed. Queen noticed my confused expression, and her lips curled into a smirk. She juggled the ball into her Burning Palm and set it aflame.

"Then how about I show you?"

"I don't like where this is going." And I was already running away from her. The flaming ball impacted the wall beside me and bounced back to her hand. She threw again, but I jumped, and it rolled between my legs. I could see she had a crappy aim. That was good. But she was still trying to kill me.

"You're quicker than I thought." Queen said as she walked to pick up the ball. I was at least twenty feet from her, panting and waiting for the next attack. One hit would earn me a trip to the hospital. "Time to kick it up a notch!" Oh, of course. Of course she had to be holding back. This was not my day.

The ball was flung at me faster than before. I had to sidestep to evade, and duck when it bounced against the glass door behind me. It went back to her palm, as if attracted to it, before she tossed it back, this time so it would bounce off the ceiling.

That one wasn't tough. But a second ball came my way when I wasn't looking. I managed to dodge it, but it burned off part of my tunic. Now I had two balls to worry about. I was beginning to feel more annoyed than worried when she tossed in a third. I was pinned against the shelf at the mercy of the one that wouldn't go back to her and stop ricocheting off the walls. As a reflex, when it came at me, I grabbed the first thing I touched behind me, and swatted the ball away with it. When I looked, it was no longer aflame; just scorched and rolling normally on the floor. And then I noticed what I was using as a bat. It was an Aquarius Blade. I grinned.

"Oh, very funny; using my own weapon against me." Queen laughed. The remaining fiery balls of doom went back to her and rolled around her feet without touching them. "Okay then. Let's play extreme baseball."

She grabbed one of the balls, and threw it at me like a pitcher. I wasn't a fan of baseball; all I knew about it was that you had to smack the ball with a bat and run as fast as you could if you got the hit. Well, I did just that. I used the Aquarius Blade as a bat and put out the ball that came at me, effectively sending it flying against the shelf. I ran just in time to avoid the last ball. Then it bounced off the floor and toward me, and I swung. But I did it with too much force, and ball ended up hitting Queen. Right in the face.

_I feel satisfied, _I thought.

Queen snarled, but showed me a forced smile. "You actually beat me. Heh," no more comment came from her about the extreme session. Instead, she asked me to open the glass door. Once I did, we were outside, with the wind blowing at my face. I looked up at the sky. I could see some centurions up above and a trio of angels apparently racing. It was a nice day, not a cloud in the sky (well, we kinda do live on the clouds, but whatever).

I slumped on the ground, tired already. "Were you trying to kill me back there?" I shouted.

"Not really," Queen replied from behind me. "I've never had an accident with a trainee before."

"There's blood on the floor." I pointed out, catching her lies. There were dried-up patches of red everywhere I looked, even some on the dummies.

"Oh, no," she laughed. "That's my own. I often end up hurting myself during training." I could see that happening. After all, Fighters had to deal with sharp stuff and all. You could hurt yourself just fixing your armor.

I was sitting cross-legged on the ground waiting for further instructions. I didn't know the place and I didn't know the girl, so it was all I could do. Abruptly, a heavy weight was dropped onto my lap. "Oof!" I saw it was my folded armor.

"Get suited up. Now that we've practiced evading, we will practice your battle skills." Queen said sternly as she discarded her Burning Palm, carefully washing it off into a bucket. The tinted water magically reformed into a sphere with a ring of fire around it. She took it and put it high up on her armory shelf.

I snorted. "But I don't _need_ battle practice," I complained. I thought Palutena had sent me here so I would learn how to play in the Light vs Dark games, not this!

"I'll be the judge of that." Queen replied. I sighed, went to a corner and equipped my orange suit of armor. As I was putting my helmet on, I noticed it was way too scratched. I'd have to polish it at home.

When I came back to the outdoor training field, Queen had set up five dummies resembling monoeyes and miks. "Pick a weapon."

I wanted to see what she had to offer on her shelf, so I ignored my own weapons in my mini treasure chest and browsed the variety. Then in a corner, I spotted a pair of Brawler Claws, which looked like big fists wrapped in bandages. It was one of my favorite weapons, so I picked them up and equipped them.

Queen sat and watched as I beat up the dummies one by one with melee attacks. The pair of claws gave me a nice, unnatural speed boost that let me throw multiple punches per second. "Continuous fire, I wanna see you do it. Get five feet from your opponent." Queen demanded. Maybe if I did what she asked I would be done quicker. I stepped away from a monoeye dummy and thrust my arm forward, commanding the weapon to obey me and fire.

It went on like that for about ten minutes, just me punching and shooting. Queen told me to stop, left me alone for a minute, and came back with a tray of drinks and snacks. Well, at least she was being a good hostess. I took a small bun and ate. After I ate and drank what she'd given me, she took away the Brawler Claws.

"Alright," Queen said as she put the weapon away in her shelf. "That's it for today."

"What?" She had to be joking. I'd only been here for around two hours.

"Get out of here; we're done. Seriously. I have stuff do get to." Queen said. She handed me my things, slapped my behind (what), and pushed me towards the stairs. "Come back tomorrow anytime in the morning."

And with that, I was gone.

* * *

Day Two

"Orbitars are not your enemies. Orbitars do not want to screw you over. Orbitars are your friends."

I was focusing real hard right then to keep the Gemini Orbitars Queen had leant me in the air. They looked like a couple of white and blue masks, one happy and the other sad. They didn't feel that heavy, but since I was not a fan of orbitars, it was hard just to keep them suspended. "This takes too much concentration."

"For you, maybe," she scoffed. "It's completely natural to me. Like extra limbs."

I was supposed to practice with every weapon type. Queen had promised that once I did, she would teach me about Light vs Dark. I was good with almost all weapon types, actually, except for bows, staffs, and orbitars. The latter, I was practicing now. Queen wanted me to shoot one of her monoeye dummies to extinction.

"You need to keep in mind that you have orbitars with you. Control them with your mind like proportions of your body. They'll move with you," she instructed. "Just don't forget they're there, or they'll fall. And you better not break those," she threatened, sending me a glare. "You have no idea how hard it was to obtain them!"

The Gemini Orbitars were a zodiac weapon. Such weapons were extremely rare; almost no one had them. The main reason being that the god of the forge, Dyntos, had created them and stored them away in secret chambers all around Angel Land, but none in Skyworld. My friend Chary had an Aquarius Blade that he'd received as a gift from one of his godly admirers for winning an LVD match.

"How _did_ you get them?" I'd always wanted my hands on a zodiac weapon.

"Well," as she spoke, she was positioning me an appropriate distance inside the range of the orbitars from the dummy. "You know the angel on the Dark team, right?"

"Yeah." I wasn't sure at the moment, thought his name was Dark Pit or something. I'd only seen him around twice in my life.

"Well, he has a lot of these Gemini Orbitars. I managed to…_persuade_ him into giving me a pair." Queen said rather proudly.

I wanted to know nothing of her persuasion methods. Nothing at all. So I went back to focusing on those damned floating masks. Queen commanded me to shoot continuous fire. I willed them to follow my orders and set my fists below the orbitars to open fire. Instantly, dark spheres with really creepy smiles shot from each mask, slowly but effectively getting the dummy. I felt a little proud. I kept it on with the continuous fire until Queen stopped me.

"Now, finish it with a charged shot!"

Charging shots took the same process with every single weapon. All you had to do was cease fire to charge. Then, with much care, command the weapon to release a burst of energy that hit hard. Now, when I did this, the Gemini Orbitars generated almost exact replicas of themselves that flew at the dummy faster than continuous fire. The hit blew the monoeye dummy to pieces, chunks of wood and cotton now on the floor.

After the long session with the orbitars, Queen handed me a Darkness Bow, stating it was one of her favorites. Bows were actually pretty cool. Though it took skill to load the arrows and fire them quickly, splitting the bow into two knives was very easy. So easy, at first I thought I'd broken the weapon. After that, I could smack my opponent with the knives like two blades. The tricky part was the charged forward dash melee attack, which was nearly impossible for me.

"I can't do it." I panted out after so many attempts. My hand just wouldn't cooperate.

"I know it's really hard," Queen agreed. "It takes time." She took the bow from me, targeted a poor dummy, and dashed toward it, performing that difficult move. The bow, in one piece, spun in her hand like a saw, slashing away at the mik dummy with agility. It looked awesome.

A question came to my mind. "Who taught you?"

"The angels," she replied as she handed me the Darkness Bow again. "A few years ago, when I was still a noob, Palutena assigned Pit as my instructor. He's better at bows than anyone else in Skyworld."

Pit was the angel that fought in the Light team. I'd seen the guy maybe once in my life. I knew he was also a general in Palutena's army, her right-hand man. I figured having him as an instructor was quite the honor. I wasn't too sure, but Queen was lucky.

I continued bow practice for about an hour before it was snack time. We sat on the living room couch eating cereal with raisins, not bothering to take off our armor. She finished hers and let me rummage her pantry for seconds.

After lunch, it was time for the last session of the day. Queen handed me a robotic staff with a cool blinky light. It was a Laser Staff. "Okay, so what do you know about staffs?"

"They have little to no homing ability," I began. "They can slow you down and are good for sniping." Though I wasn't much of a sniper, I had good aim.

"Good," Queen clapped. "Okay, then, time to start your practice." She then placed a dummy really far away from me in the outdoor area. "The Laser Staff has the longest range of any weapon," she said.

"Next to the Earthmaul Club," I finished for her. She sent me a weird look.

"…Exactly. Good. So, your shots are almost guaranteed to reach opponents far away." Queen said. I let her move me till I was positioned in a straight line in front of the dummy.

Shooting with staffs resulted easier than with most weapons, because instead of mentally commanding them, they had a button that had to pressed to shoot. It was near the head of the staff, which is why these weapons are often held from that area.

The Laser Staff had rapid fire, which was great. I ceased fire to let the staff charge, and noticed it took quite some time. When it was ready, the blue light on the head began to blink. I took carful aim and shot.

The hard thing about staffs wasn't the actual managing; they were easy to use. The real problem is how to use them, since longer distance boosts their power, they have no homing, and most have terrible melee power.

Queen refused to teach me sniping, saying she wasn't good at it anyway. I asked her to teach me some other time, and to my surprise, she accepted. My session with the Laser Staff ended in as short as thirty minutes, after having tried everything it had to offer.

I had tried the three weapon types Queen had asked me to, and though my skills with bows hadn't improved much, I liked orbitars. They were like floating buddies.

It was late in the afternoon, and I was drenched in sweat. I discarded my armor, but Queen still wore hers, even after offering me a snack before I left. I ate some grapes and a donut before heading back home, glad the sun was setting and the atmosphere gradually got cooler.

Tomorrow would commence my real training.

* * *

Day Three

Last night, my parents interrogated me about my training, and more importantly, my instructor. I told them everything was cool, though I still couldn't trust Queen much. They said they wanted to meet her, but I quickly got that idea off their heads by pretending to have stabbed my own hand with a fork.

So in the morning, I got dressed in my tunic and packed an extra set of clothing before heading out, cereal bowl in hand and a spoon in the other. Eating cereal in the outdoors felt great.

When I got to her house, Queen told me to head on to the training field while she washed my bowl. When I entered the field and set my things down, I noticed something very different. The mik and monoeye dummies were gone, and there was a round table placed before the glass door. Queen came down the steps carrying a tray and drinks.

"What's this?" I asked, confused. Queen motioned me to sit.

"My breakfast. I'm starving." She handed me a plate with some crackers, cheese, and grapes and sat down. She was having eggs sunny side-up with toast. This had nothing to do with my training. Maybe I'd arrived too early.

"I can come back later," I told her, but she shook her head.

"No, no," she said. "We need to talk, as part of your training." I still didn't understand, so I just wolfed down a grape. "Alright, so," she began. "How long have you been a Fighter?"

"A few months." If I was being questioned, my answers would be short and sweet.

"How good are you in Free for All?"

"Recently I've been ranking among the top three."

It went on like that till she was done. All the questions she'd asked were concerning my battle record and experiences, and she never commented on my answers. She left, did the dishes, put away the table, and came back down to meet me.

"Alright," she said, changing her previously-friendly tone into a strict one. "It's time to get serious." I was a little surprised, but nodded. "Like Free for All, you'll be facing Fighters in Light versus Dark. Unlike it, however, you will have two teammates and three opponents."

Queen went over to a wall and removed the curtain over it. Beneath it was a chalkboard with what I guessed were supposed to be Fighters drawn on it. There were three on either side of the board. "Nice…doodles." I suppressed a chuckle.

"Zip it," she barked. "Anyway, these are the Fighters on the Light side," she took a chalk and colored the Fighters on the left white. Then she pointed at the uncolored ones. "And these are the ones on the Dark team. It's important that you don't get confused on the battlefield; the color is key."

This was pretty basic stuff, but at least she was finally giving me what I'd come here for. I grabbed a chair I saw nearby and sat, feeling like I was back at Cloud Elementary, except I was the only student and my teacher was one year older than me.

"So let's say you're on the Light team. Don't attack the guys in white armor." She made sure to exaggerate the circle she drew around the Light members. "Friendly fire will not be tolerated. Now, you can either go after the Dark members individually, or work as a team for a quicker kill." The idea of going solo sounded much more appealing.

_This stuff is simple,_ I muttered.

"Sometimes you're gonna have to share a kill…"

The next hour was pretty tranquil. All Queen did was give me a lecture on team work. She was entering the whole angel topic when she stopped and told me she had something else to do and to go home. I was allowed to leave my things at her house so I wouldn't have to carry them back and forth in the days that remained. Slightly disappointed with the short session, I began my walk home.

My parents found it odd that I was back so early. But they were glad. "Just in time for lunch," mom chirped.

Let me describe my parents. My mother was a tall blonde with green eyes and pale skin. She had a signature mole right beside her right eye, and short bangs that covered her forehead. She was one of the best Fighters of her day, but retired younger than normal to raise a family. Her old pink armor was still in her closet, now undersized and dusty. She'd taught me how to fight, but since she'd never participated in the LVD, she couldn't be my teacher now.

My father was also tall and pale-skinned, with messy auburn hair and black eyes. He was growing a moustache, saying it looked manly. Unlike my mother, he had large, mighty wings with faintly green feathers. As an angel, he had the job of flying between domains to deliver messages from the gods. A skilled archer, but not in possession of any of the bows that were exclusive to Fighters, which was why I couldn't ask him for practice.

These two adults raised me to be both a skilled battler and a…good person. They'd made a deal to have two children and teach each something different. Luckily, my sister was born an angel, so there was no questioning what she was being taught: the secret arts of arrows and letters.

I sat down for lunch with my parents. Dad had killed a chicken while in the Overworld this morning, so that's what Mom had cooked, along with some fresh vegetables. "How was it, Ethan?" Mom asked.

"Short. My instructor gave me a lecture with stick figures." I mumbled.

"That's a lot better than how I draw," joked the man who couldn't hold a pencil right.

If my sister had been there, lunch wouldn't have been so pleasant. She was too loud. We talked about my training, and about how proud I was making Mom by becoming an LVD Fighter. When the donuts came for dessert, the big question was asked.

"So, son, which team will you be fighting for?" My dad inquired.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Day Four

"Get up, get up, get up!" My mother sang as she beat me with a pillow. "Today's your last day of training! Get up, get up, get up!"

_Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away, _I thought, hugging the sheets.

Alas, my mother was persistent, and I ended up jumping from bed to beg her to stop. She left me a fresh, green tunic for the day, along with really tight shorts. I went downstairs to pick out my cereal of the morning. I opened the pantry and stared. We only had seventy cereal boxes of each kind left. We'd have to resupply soon. I browsed through the variety and ended up picking cheerios. I took the new box with me and left my house.

I munched my cheerios on my way and said hi to a few friends before arriving at Queen's place for the final session. I knocked once, and there she was, clad in scarlet armor, half-eaten banana in hand. She motioned me in.

We were immediately at the training field. She extended her hand towards me, and I gave her a handful of cheerios. We finished eating and Queen went outside to set up some dummies.

"Today's the last day of your training," Queen stated. "We've gotta make this count."

I was wondering how she'd teach me so much material in a few hours. She must've had a plan. "Alright." I said.

We reviewed some yesterday's stuff before she moved me to the outdoor field. There, she had six dummies. Four poorly structured Fighters and two funny-looking angels. What I found weird was that the feathers on those dummies looked awfully real.

"Alright, so now that you know the basics, it's time you know the most important thing in a Light versus Dark match: the angels." Queen lightly punched the angel dummy with white wings. "Angels are faster and a _whole lot _stronger than Fighters are. They can whoop your ass with just three hits."

That did not sound nice at all. I'd heard from Chary that the angels in the LVD were true experts despite their age (though I was sure they were a lot older than what everyone said). But he'd also told me that seeing them be defeated was hilarious. That, I was looking forward to.

"Their life gauge is as long as the entire team's." Queen added.

_Damn, _I thought. Taking them down sounded hard.

"But! They're not so sturdy." That sounded better. "So, in a Light versus Dark match, the goal is to defeat the opposing angel and win. You'll have to kill a few of your opponents first to lower the life gauge, and once that reaches zero, the angel will spawn. After that, stop at nothing to get him."

"So…the other team gets an extra members? Three on four doesn't sound fair." I said.

"Absolutely not! The Fighter whose death caused the gauge to deplete gets removed from battle and replaced with the angel. So it's still three on three."

Queen explained me the whole angel business. The more she told me, the more I began to look forward to my first match. An hour had gone by once she was finished. As usual, she brought me a drink and a snack. When I was done, I began to take an oral exam. She asked me for everything I'd learned.

"Day one: the skills of evasion and battle." I said. Queen nodded and wrote it down on a scroll she'd picked up. "Day two: the handling of all weapon types." She wrote it down. "Day three: Light versus Dark." She smiled.

"And?"

"Day four: the angels." I finished. Those were the things I'd learned and practice during my time with Queen. It had all been so fast; I couldn't believe I was finally done. In the end, Queen put away the dummies, stating how she didn't think they were necessary anymore.

It was over, done. I could leave, go home, and prepare for my first match. Smiling, I went to retrieve my treasure chest from the shelf. But then came an interruption.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Um…" She didn't sound happy. "Just getting my things. I'll be out in a minute."

"Oh, no, no, no," she laughed. "Not yet. I have one more test for you."

I groaned. What could it be this time? "What now?"

Her lips curled into a smirk. I didn't like when she did that. Her smirks looked too sly. "Oh, nothing much," she walked to the far corner of her armory shelf. When she came back to face me, my eyes widened.

Queen's left arm had disappeared into the socket of a massive cannon modeled after the faithful watchdog of the very Underworld, the beast named Twinbellows. Flames decorated the back and the tip of the cannon's rear, while bones protruded from the side. The monster's mouth was agape, its glass eyes glowing neon. She held the head of her cannon with her other hand to support the weight.

"Get suited up. I'm your final test."

I got into my orange armor shortly after I was told to. I decided that if I would fight Queen with my own weapon, and not one from her armory. And I was determined to defeat her, because for some reason, she irked me to nearly the same level as my best friend did. Beating her in combat was my _need_. And besides, how tough could a girl be?

We stood ten feet each other outside in the training field, away from the mess inside. "Let's see what you've got, Ethan." Queen said.

A minute passed. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my Samurai Blade, which reflected the sunlight onto the bloodstained stone ground. And then without warning, Queen dashed forward, and a big ball of flames shot out from the cannon's mouth, bouncing towards me.

I sprinted out of the way, not expecting the sphere to blow up at the end of its trail. The minimum explosion caught my foot, and I tripped and fell. I managed to recover quickly, being fully energized and excited. I sprung up in time to dodge incoming continuous fire. I moved to the side, but the fireballs had slight homing and got to me anyway.

My armor kept the fire from sinking into my skin. I dashed forward and thrust my blade at Queen, missing her by an inch. Taking advantage of the position I was in, she slammed her cannon down on me, pinning me to the ground with all that weight. I clenched my jaw in concentration as I managed to slip an arm under my body and reach my power belt.

"That wasn't so hard," Queen chuckled. I could feel heat charging up inside the mouth of the cannon, ready to blast me with a charged shot that would surely finish me. But I reached the power I needed, and pressed it just in time to avoid the attack. I appeared right behind her, and it took me no more than a second to realize my position. I swung my blade as hard as I could, and knocked Queen back and onto the floor. Warp was truly a life-saving power.

Queen was already picking herself up, but doing so seemed hard with that cannon blocking the use of her hand. Still, a battle was a battle, and I could feel my Samurai Blade signaling me it was charged up. I lunged and swung vertically, sending a burst of razor sharp winds into the air. Then it crashed down onto Queen, not missing a single inch of her body.

I couldn't let her recover, so I lunged before she got back to her feet. Bu I wasn't quick enough. She was up and blocking my attack with the mouth of her cannon. She thrust it forward and pushed me back, causing me to stumble and give her enough time to stand up.

Queen was quick. She dashed toward me and swung her arm, punching the air from my lungs with that heavy blow. The cannon was like stone against my chest. I could feel the heat through my armor. After that hit came another, lighter one, and two more. Then the fourth and final, which felt stronger than all the others, set my body aflame. I fell to one knee, seeing the flames engulf my entire form. My energy was rapidly decreasing, skin feeling millions of stings per second.

Queen leapt back, and I saw as another charged shot, one bigger than the first, shot from cannon into the air and then crashed down on me. The explosion was massive, and it did nothing to help me. I'd never fought anyone with such a destructive weapon before. However, I'd felt the cruelty that was burning from many battles, so I was used to it to the point I could keep on going. But the explosion from that backward dash attack was nearly lethal. As I writhed in pain, Queen's face was smug, but she was only two feet from me, watching me.

I took the opportunity. I grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her down to the ground with me. With one hand I held her down, and with the other, I brought down my blade with fury.

Queen gave a pained cry. "Damn you!" She rammed my side with her cannon and I rolled off of her. By now, the flames had gone away, and my status was back to normal. I struggled to stand up, and when I did, I noticed Queen on one knee, panting and glaring at me. My Samurai Blade had pierced her armor and was buried deep in her abdomen. Crimson dripped from the blade onto the floor, making new stains on the stone.

_Gotcha,_ I thought with a smile. The fight was as good as over. Or else that's what I hoped, until I saw Queen stand up and yank out the weapon from her body. Blood gushed from the wound, but she was still glaring at me. She tried to put a hand on the injury, but her armor got in the way. Grunting, she raised her Twinbellows Cannon. I was too shocked to react when a charged shot came my way, just like the first. The ball exploded as it came in contact with my body, and I was blown back into a wall because of the explosion. As my hands bled and skin burned once again, I saw Queen spit out blood.

Now it was over. Neither of us could go on. I felt weak and my body wouldn't respond; I couldn't get up, as much as I wanted to help Queen. Realization had just dawned on me; Fighters are not magically healed back to normal outside of the ring. My instructor was seriously injured, and probably bleeding to death. It would be my faut for going overboard. I tried to call out for her, but suddenly, my world went dark.

"You little bastard," came a female's chuckle. "Look at these burns. I should've gone easy on you."

I opened my eyes. I was lying on something soft and comfortable, probably a couch. All I saw was the dirty, stone ceiling. The atmosphere reeked of alchohol and sweat, and I could feel something like acid being rubbed on my skin. I looked at my body, saw that if it weren't for my shorts, I would've been completely naked.

"Oh, you're awake. Stay here," I turned my head and saw a girl walked away. Weird. When she came back, I examined her carefully. her skin was slightly darker than my pale tone. Her dark crimson locks cascaded down her back, with surprisingly straight bangs over her forehead. She had strong arms, a sign of regular work outs. What made me realize this girl was my instructor was her dark brown irises and eternally arrogant expression.

"Queen?"

"No duh," she said as she lifted up a bucket. "Hold still." And she tipped the bucket, dumping a hot, yellow liquid all over me.

"Gah!" I coughed when it got in my mouth, thinking it was something nasty. But I felt the pain in my body slowly go away as my skin seemed to absorb the substance. It was water from a sacred hot spring. I felt normal again, though still sore and exhausted. I sprung up quicker than I'd intended. Queen's couch was completly soaked. While I was looking at me, something fluffy hit my chest. I saw it was a towel.

I dried whatever part of my body was still wet and stood up to meet Queen's stare. I was gawking.

"What?" She asked.

"This is the first time I'm actually seeing you," I stated. "How come?"

Queen crossed her arms smugly, flinched, and undid the action. "Ah...for protection."

"Protection?" Why?

"From you. I didn't know if you turned out to be some kind of psycho who would try to kill me, so I was always suited up for your training; in case I had to draw my weapon and decapitate you." Queen admitted with a laugh. I found it strange how all this time I'd been wary of her, when it was actually also vice-versa. I felt some relief somehow.

I retrived my spare clothing from my mini treasure chest and got dressed. I did not want to ask her how she'd stripped me without me waking up. I had no desire to know. Queen brought a tray of food as usual, and we sat down at the dinning table for snack time.

"How's your wound?" I reluctanly asked. Queen got up and lifted her beat-up brown tunic enough for me to see her torso in bandages. The bledding had stopped, but a little blood had soaked through the material. I made me feel a little sick and I couldn't finish my fruit punch.

"The bleeding stopped, but it hurts likes a bitch. I'll have to see a medic before the LVD begins." Queen stated.

We went back to our crackers, and after finishing that, we picked up cereal. I munched silently. When we were done, I expected some talking, but we both slumped on a couch and instantly passed out. an hour later, I was up, and had to wake Queen.

I was prepared to leave. No word had been spoken about our rather epic fight earlier. It was when I was beyond the door that she actually said something.

"Ethan, you're an amazing Fighter," she said with a smile that didn't actually look smug. "You have skill, you have power, you have the guts."

I felt very flattered, though this was all true. I felt inspired for the fights I would be having the next day, but also felt the need to face Queen in battle again, to feel that rush of adrenaline I'd felt when facing her. "You're great, too," I replied.

She puffed out her chest in a proud manner. "Indeed I am." She laughed. There was a short silence before she extended her hand toward me. "...Friends?"

"Friends," we shook hands, and with that, I ran off into the night on my way home.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow; the beginning of the Light versus Dark season.

* * *

**THERE YOU HAVE IT. Two weeks after the first chapter, this thing is finally done. I would like to thank my so-called friends for pressuring (trolling) me to finish this rather long chapter. I hope you're satisfied.**

**This was yet another introducton chapter, in my view. I really look forward to writing the next one. If you, my dear readers, want to see anything specific in Chapter 3, please let me know via review, because up to now, I've only got the battle scenes planned. **

**And yes. I'm aware that I should stop naming my using Queen in my stories. Though her physisque slightly alternates between fics, she's got the same smug-ass personality. At least she's not a Mary-Sue. I hate those.**

**Okay, I know I refused back in Chapter 1, but OC spots are officially open. I need at 2 OCs for the Dark team in LVD. ONLY TWO. The conditions are: no Mary-Sues/Mary-Stues, no angels, no gods, no amazing past having to do with super amazing stuff. Other than that, knock yourself out. THE FIRST TWO REVIEWERS TO SUBMIT OCS THAT I LIKE GET THE ROLE.**

**Special thanks to Michael, Ethan, and Curimuch for reviewing!**

**That is all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Leave a review, so I can sleep at night. If you don't, I won't care. **

**-ALL HAIL DA QUEEN!**


	3. Something, Something, Dark Team

**I apolagize for the big, month long delay. My summers are always packed. **

**I'd like to thank all those who reviewed, and those who favorited and put my story on alert! I appreciate the support! I'd also like to thank my dear friends for constantly starting a conversation with "CH3". **

**Anyhow. I've chosen the first two OCs given to me. Thanks for them! Now, girls, keep in mind I haven't decided if yours characters will have major roles or not...but at least they'll partake in this. They do not appear in this chapter though.**

**Curimuch, I'll take your advice. I'll shorten my chapters. It's much easier on me~!**

* * *

_**Olympic Bloodshed**_

**~*Chapter III*~**

**Something, Something, Dark Team...**

Today I'd be having my first Light vs Dark match. I was a little nervous, but thanks to my training, I was more confident than before. I was dressed in my ginger armor and waiting in the lobby, my only company being my friend Chary, who was clad in his Dark team armor. Since my suite was yet to be made, I'd have to fight like this. I still hadn't decided whether to join the Dark or the Light team.

"Ethan, please, just shut up," Chary begged, leaning back on his chair and putting a hand to his forehead. "Gods, my headache is killing me."

I pouted. I'd been talking to him about my day of training and other stuff he was usually interested in. But today, he seemed tired, but since I wasn't, he'd have to put up with my yap.

"Fine," I told him. "But tell me one thing. Where is everyone?" We were alone in the lobby. Not even the secretary had arrived yet.

"I don't know," he groaned.

"We got here too early, then." Which sucked. I'd have to wait around with this twit until everyone else got here.

To fight off the boredom, I retrieved my Samurai Blade from my treasure chest and unsheathed it. Then my entertainment became polishing the blade. I'd forgotten to wipe the blood on it, so now was a good time. I loved this thing. My first weapon, I'd constructed it myself, and had managed to make it look like the real ones made by Dyntos. It wasn't high in value and had no modifiers, but it was awesome nonetheless.

Aside from my blade, I had three more weapons: a Viridi Palm, an Aurum Bow, and Brawler Claws. The latter only had one negative modifier, which was why I didn't use them much, despite how much I loved that weapon. I'd won all of them in Free for All matches, though I was planning to reverse-engineer my Aurum Bow to make copies. I would sell said copies and get enough hearts to buy better weapons. If it was legal or not, I wasn't sure.

After half an hour, the massive oak doors of the lobby swung open, the creaking sound accompanied by loud laughter.

"Then she was like 'I'm gonna pluck out your feathers one by one and use them to stuff my pillows'!"

"She sure has anger issues. How are you still alive?"

"I don't know. All I did was pick a rose from her garden. Imagine if I used one of her precious trees to take a piss."

"And why'd you need a rose? Huuuh? Huuuuuh?"

"None of your business!"

I was curious enough to get up from my bench to check who was here with us. There were two teenagers at the secretary's desk, going over the paperwork. With a closer look, I came to the conclusion they were identical twins. They both had short, messy hair, the same face and eye shape. One of them had blue eyes and chestnut hair, the other red eyes and dark violet hair. They even had the exact same tunic, except one was white and the other black. I'd seen these guys before. It was on the tip of my tongue!

"Hey, Dark Pit!" Chary shouted from behind me. He walked past me and toward the pair.

"Yo," the red-eyed one greeted.

"Mornin'!" the other one chirped. His voice had this pitch that I found unpleasant.

Chary put an arm over my shoulder and looked at me. "Ethan, you know these guys, right?"

"I think," I mumbled. "Enlighten me."

"Okay," he seemed pleased to know something I didn't. "This here's Dark Pit," he slapped the red-eyed guy's shoulder. He just gawked at me with indifference. "Dark Pit, this is Ethan. He's the new guy."

"Oh, I see," Dark Pit said. "Welcome to the game then, kid." He dared call me 'kid' despite the fact he looked way younger than me.

But if this guy was Dark Pit, that meant the other, distracted guy with him was Pit. He was pouting at the big schedule on the wall as I was being introduced. That's when I noticed, since his back was turned to me, the pair of white wings extending from his body. Now I remembered how I knew their names from before. Pit and Dark Pit were the angels that fought in the LVD. I guessed I hadn't noticed Dark Pit's wings since he had them folded.

"Pittoo! Read this for me," Pit called out, pointing at the wall schedule and sighing in exasperation.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I can't." Dark Pit groaned.

Chary offered to read the schedule aloud to them. According to it, the Light vs Dark practice matches would begin at 10:00am and end at 7:00pm, with a total of five matches set to be fought. Right now it was nine in the morning.

To kill the remaining hour, the angels ran off to the training field and left us to think of our own activity. I sat back on the bench, retrieved a cereal box from my treasure chest, and munched away.

As time passed, more and more Fighters arrived. Most were in casual clothing and would get suited up later. By 9:30, there were at least twelve Fighters in the lobby. I didn't feel like socializing, so I shrunk back on my bench and poured another round of flakes into my bowl.

Then, like ten minutes later, someone slapped me in the back, and I nearly choked.

"Ethan! Good to see you here early," I glared to meet dark irises. Queen laughed when she saw the milk dripping from my chin because of her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast. Carry on!" She left my side. I saw as she pulled Chary out of a nice conversation with another Fighter and into a bear hug.

"I see how it is," I mumbled and quietly continued with my cereal.

I felt slightly out of place, having different colored armor, and only Queen's presence comforted me a little, due to her being clad in red instead of white or dark purple. It was weird, though, wasn't she a Fighter in this, too?

Everything settled down soon afterwards. I was supposed to register my name with the secretary. But when she asked me what team I'd be playing for, I froze. I still hadn't decided. In the midst of my deep thinking, Queen came up from behind me and nearly made me fall onto the marble desk.

"Dark team for me, Dark team for Ethan," she said, clapping her hand on my mouth so I wouldn't object. The robust woman shrugged and wrote it down.

Queen managed to drag me into another room before letting me go. "What gives?" I said. "Whatever happened to free will?"

"Hush, you," she said as she removed her helmet and began to discard her red armor.

"You're basically still my student until the tournament begins. I get to pick what's best for you," her armor clanked on the floor. She picked up the pieces and tossed them in her treasure chest. She wore the same attire from the night before, only now she had sandals and small round earrings. "And the Dark team is the best choice at the moment."

I was slightly annoyed, but I could see her point. Chary was a Dark team Fighter, so I guessed having a friend on my team was an advantage.

"Maybe..." I said. "Perhaps..."

"Good. Now go get ready at your team's lobby. It's the next door to your right." Queen stated.

"Aren't you gonna fight, too?" Coming here and then putting away her suit made no sense whatsoever.

"I'll sit this one out," she sighed. "My medic agreed to meet me here for my checkup. I think I'll be done by round two." She gave me a thumbs-up and then left, completely forgetting about her treasure chest. I put it under a bench for her and hoped no one would try to steal it. Then I did as was told and went to join my team.

* * *

The Dark team lobby had light blue walls lined with stone benches, except for one wall that had a huge shelf against it. It was much like Queen's armory. Everything about the room was neat and tidy, but carried the stench of age. The entire LVD stadium was extremely old, yet it was so well constructed, it could still hold up. It was located on top of an equally old cloud higher up than the others and miles away from Lady Palutena's temple. Its stone structure had survived many storms and winds, and so had the strong cloud that held it up. My parents considered it a wonder worthy of the gods.

I sat on a bench with Chary, just like I had a while ago. He was completely suited up, Samurai Blade sheathed and strapped to his back. "No fair," I complained. "I was gonna use a Samurai Blade."

Chary looked at me and scoffed. "Sorry, but I thought of it first~"

Sighing in exasperation, I looked around my treasure chest and retrieved my Viridi Palm. I discarded the armor on my left arm and put it away, then slapped the gooey sphere on my skin. It then melted onto me, and transformed into a tattoo of the goddess of nature surrounded by pink petals and thorns. Rings of the same petals were suspended around my arm, spiraling slowly.

After I went back and sat, the red-eyed angel stepped in from the other room, holding his treasure chest under one arm, and locked the door behind him. "Well," he set down his red and green chest and drew a long, purple staff from it. "I hope you guys haven't been slacking off this last season," Dark Pit said. "I didn't come to Skyworld to lose...more than a few times."

"Nah! I've been waiting months for this!" One of the Dark members chirped.

"Let's kick Light ass!"

"I'm hungry!"

"My weapon will crush skulls!"

My teammates were already rallied up. Chary and I seemed to be the only normal ones here. Well, us and the Dark Fighter beside me, who sat quietly with their arms crossed.

The gates opened, letting sunlight pour into the dim lobby. I was immediately on my feet and running out without waiting to be chosen for battle. Behind me were Chary and another Fighter. My eyes were shielded from the blinding sun, but I could still feel the intense heat.

The stage we were tossed into was a large battlefield overlooked by an abandoned stone fortress. I'd always liked the Ancient Fortress, which meant I already had an advantage. I could see the green lights from the roof of the building indicating where the Light members stood.

There was an uneasy silence.

"FIGHT!"

And it started.

I saw Chary speed off toward the green jump pad before the fortress. He was too quick; probably had already activated his Lightweight power. He was met halfway there by a small flying rock, knocked back into the air, and then fell to the ground on his butt. A Light Fighter with a Cragalanche Cannon was heading his way.

Well, I received a good whack in the head for being so distracted. I tumbled to the floor, but managed to catch myself and spring to my feet. Almost immediately, the Light Fighter lunged at me with a glowing Optical Blade. He swung down onto me, but I was quick to react, and caught the hot blade with my bare hand. It felt as if I'd dipped my hand in open flames; felt so painful. Then I opened my palm and thrust forward, firing a massive storm of petals and pinkness that, at such close range, blew me back. But my foe took the blast to the face and was knocked into the air. I dropped the blade and went for the kill.

As the Fighter got up and reached for his blade on the floor, I swung my arm and shot another petal storm. But just before it got to hit, a bomb of sharp winds came crashing down on my opponent. He was flung into the air and replaced with a wing shaped tombstone.

"What the..."

"Don't just stand there!" Chary yelled. "Move!"

Chary had just stolen my kill. I groaned and placed my head back in the game.

I reached the fortress and climbed the stairs that led to the roof. Up there I was met with a donut on the floor. Not my favorite food, but I bent over to pick it up. But just as I bit into it, I saw a Light Fighter in the air. She was trying to get onto the roof so she could smack me with those deadly looking Raptor Claws, but her flying trajectory was way off, and she kept bouncing up and down on the jump pad. It actually looked funny. But I had to focus.

I readied my arm and predicted the next jump. As soon as I saw the tips of that white helmet, I dashed forward and sent the powerful pink storm at her. And just as I'd predicted, my shot impacted her chest, and she was sent flying higher, replaced with a tombstone that fell from the sky and crushed one of my allies on impact. _You have to lose some to gain some_, I thought.

Another item landed beside me, this time an Eggplant Bomb. I reached for the vegetable-like object like anyone would, but then another Fighter ran past me, taking the bomb with him. That had been one of my allies. He ran off with the bomb and jumped from the roof.

I groaned once again and got moving.

There was a blast of light in the distance, and suddenly I began to hear music. It was faint but quick, maybe played by an instrument with strings. A heavenly light rained down and an angel descended, slowly flapping his white wings.

"PIT IS HERE!" The announcer boomed.

It took me a moment to remember my objective. But Pit was way down there near the cliffs; he'd be dead by the time I got there.

Well, I just went for it and jumped off the roof. My armor protected me from fall damage, as it was designed to. I could jump off a skyscraper with this thing and land perfectly. Well, as long as my feet were aiming for the ground. You'd die at any other angle.

I was running across the field looking for the angel. He was up on a cliff firing multicolored shots from his golden bow, each arrow gaining speed as they traveled. I was far away from him, so the shots were fast and hard to avoid. My health points were probably pretty low, and I was surprised I was yet to die.

A Light Fighter got in my way, and I began to smash heart-shaped petals into his face. He readied his Cragalanche Cannon and jumped backwards, sending a big rock right at me. I got cocky and sidestepped, but ended up being blasted back into the air, feeling an ache in my gut from the heavy hit. And then light erupted, and I was teleported away, replaced with a tombstone.

When I reopened my eyes, body ready to sprint forward into the field again, I was shocked to find myself surrounded by light blue walls. I heard a groan.

"Looks like I'm up," Dark Pit complained as he sprung from his seat.

"Huh?" I was a bit confused. Then the angel teleported away, leaving behind some tiny leaves on the floor. Oh. I guessed VIPs got special teleportation effects.

I slumped on the hard bench and stared up at the magical wide screen on the corner of the room projecting the battle outside. Both of my Dark allies were still in the field, but this time Dark Pit was with them on the top of the fortress with his staff. Bellow the magical screen were two gauges, one white and one black that seemed painted on the wall. Every time an angel took a hit, their respective gauge decreased. This was what Queen had told me about.

The battle ended when Chary cornered the Light angel on a cliff and slashed him across his chest. Pit gave a cry of defeat and fell, causing light to erupt and the Fighters to freeze.

"GAME!" The announcer yelled.

Then I saw as Chary jumped down from the cliff and offered his hand to the wounded angel. He took it and was back up to his feet, and then a message appeared stating the Dark team had won.

The teleportation pads, which were identical to the jump ones except for being alternate colored, activated, and my teammates materialized into the room. Both Chary and that other Fighter with the Cursed Palm were keeping their cool, just casually walking back to the benches.

As soon as Dark Pit returned, the door slammed open and the rest of the Dark Fighters stormed in with food in their mouths or hands. I'd just missed snack time. Great.

"That was a good first match," Dark Pit said after everyone settled down. "Who wants to be in the second?"

There were a dozen Fighters in the room, and a dozen hands were raised in the air. Though Chary didn't seem as pumped as before; maybe that match had tired him out. Dark Pit chose a random Fighter with a Drill Arm. And then he pointed at me. "You, too. New guys need as much practice as possible."

A valid point, I thought. I did want to fight again anyway. So this was a good thing. Then, just before another Fighter was chosen, Queen came into the room and put on her dark purple helmet. She slapped Dark Pit's back rather roughly and smiled.

"I thought you were incapacitated," Dark Pit growled as he stepped away from her.

"Not anymore," she said. "A drink of the gods was all it took. Now, let's get out there and win!" She then took her chest from under the bench I'd placed it beneath and drew a golden bow with elegant curved ends decorated with tiny, pink hearts. It reminded me I hadn't prepared yet, so I quickly switched out my palm for my Samurai Blade.

Dark Pit groaned and pushed the gates open. He motioned us outside, and I ran forward.

The stage before me was large and hot. We were surrounded by stone walls and the smell of dirt. It was the Desert Tomb, a stage with a mini maze-like complex and a lot of hiding spots. It had three floors, one only accessible via jump pads.

The green lights weren't visible from the chamber in which the Dark team stood, so that meant I'd have to look for my foes. I stood there, gripping the hilt of my weapon, until the countdown ended.

"FIGHT!"

"I'm hitting the pads," Queen chirped. She ran past me, reached for her belt, and then suddenly disappeared.

I then took the corridor to my left, unsurprised to find it empty. I ran along it and reached the pink jump pad that launched me to the second floor, which consisted of a single corridor overlooking the first floor. I took said corridor to get a good view, and someone hissed at me. I saw Queen pressed against a corner, probably trying to stay out of sight, with light purple flames of energy engulfing her body. "This is my spot," she muttered, then fired a heart shaped shot of pink doom that chased a Light Fighter into the large pit. Energy charge was a pretty good power that lasted until you got hit, so it was best to stay out of sight while using it.

Choosing to leave her be, I jumped off unto the first floor and immediately encountered a Light Fighter. He began his assault on me with a pair of the fiery Pandora Claws. They threatened to melt my armor as he performed a combo of slashes upwards, downwards, crossed and in all other directions. I was already down in health. Then he made a mistake, averted his eyes from me a second, and I raised my blade. I swung down with all the strength I could manage and knocked the Fighter back down the staircase.

I lunged in for another slash, but was met with a red cloud of hot gas from that Fighter, and was defeated. I hadn't seen that obvious charged shot coming. My tombstone appeared on the stairs and the Fighter ran off. I respawned fully healed in the dark, bottom floor. One of my allies was in a melee clash with a Light Fighter with Beam Claws. I quickly took aim and swung my blade horizontally, firing razor sharp winds towards them. The Light Fighter took the blast and his tombstone nearly crushed my ally, who gave me a glare.

I went for the green jump pad, and as I did, a shot from Queen's Angel Bow zoomed from above, turned to avoid me completely, and struck someone behind me. When I turned around, there was a tombstone. Guess I had to watch my back better.

I took the pad and was launched up to the first floor, but I missed the ground and fell back into the pit. This process was repeated about three times and I got frustrated. Finally, I reached the ground and dashed toward a Light member. He saw me coming and met me with his Taurus Arm, locking me in a melee clash. His movements were fast, and glowing energy rings were surrounding his body. He was likely under the effect of Aries armor. I kept circling around him in hopes of getting his power to wear off before I could get a hit in. But he got me first. The bull-shaped arm really packed a punch.

I managed to slip out of his sight and into a corridor. Running wasn't my thing, but that guy was overpowered. So instead, I took a pink jump pad to the second floor, where I saw Queen get knocked off her spot and be defeated. The Fighter responsible was the same guy from before with the Pandora Claws. One melee dash attack from behind was all took to take him down.

I saw a burst of light coming from the pit, and suddenly the announcer shouted: "Dark Pit is here!"

That wasn't a good sign. Nope. Nope. Nope.

I died two more times before I finally got my hands on another Fighter. He had a set of Beam Claws that weren't very special. They hardly scratched my armor, so I easily overpowered the guy with a few slashes. He fell into the pit and was defeated.

"Pit is here!" The announcer boomed. Meanwhile, I was in a corridor helping out Dark Pit, who didn't look so good. He was alone against two other Fighters, but managed to escape using the jump pad. He left me there to deal with the Pandora Claws dude and the Taurus Arm brute. Talk about rude.

I reached for my power belt and activated my super armor before I engaged in a clash with the Pandora Claws guy, thinking the other Fighter would want to pitch in and beat me up. But I was wrong, as he took the jump pad and gave chase. _Crap, _I thought.

I was low on health. And then another pink arrow saved my skin, rapidly circling around us both until it hit my opponent and sent him back. Queen dashed in from behind and separated her bow into blades. A few quick slashes here and there, and the Light Fighter was defeated.

"I lost sight of Dark Pit," she panted out. "Where'd he go?"

"Up," was all I could say.

"Let's see if I get lucky then." She said as she reached for her power belt. She pressed a pink puzzle piece and warped away from sight.

Our efforts were in vain, though. The Fighter with the zodiac weapon got to Dark Pit, and the fight was over. I never even got to see the Light team angel. He must've been out hiding. After the match ended, the results were presented, and we were teleported back to the lobby.

I slumped on the bench and let my Samurai Blade clatter to the floor. I was panting, pretty tired. Shortly after, Dark Pit teleported into the room. He had scratches and bruises all over, some blood trailing down his arm.

"Alright everyone, twenty minute break." He said. He kicked open his red and green chest and retrieved a round bottle with tiny wings. It was a drink of the gods.

A centurion flew up to me. "Mister Ethan," he said, handing me a paper bag with something inside. "Your rewards." He then flew away.

I opened the bag to claim my loot from the battle. Inside was a metallic sphere with a red button at the center, and a rectangular, red power piece at the bottom. I grabbed the sphere. The contact with my skin caused a green ring to suspend around it. This was an Aurum Palm. I looked at the backside, where the modifiers were scribbled in black letters. It had health +1, poison +1, dash charge shot +1 and in-peril autododge +3. It had 5.5 stars in range, and 4 in melee, which I didn't care much about. Overall, it was a good weapon.

The puzzle piece was a reflective barrier level two, and upgrade from the one I already got. Nice.

After I put away the Aurum Palm and power piece in my treasure chest, I got up and left the room, following the other Fighters to the lunch room. It was a big area with goodies served on a long, white table. Each Fighter was allowed to grab only three of each food before repeating so that everyone would have a chance to eat. I grabbed a bowl, grabbed some cold milk, and poured in the cereal I'd brought from home.

I took a seat and munched away. Then, Chary suddenly appeared and sat beside me. He had a bag of jalapeno chips on one hand and flaming claws on the other. "Ethan, look at this thing," he shoved the claws in my face. The claws seemed to be made of silver and their base of some other material. The flames seemed to be fueled by magic. "I got these Wolf Claws from a fusion!"

"Cool," I was just trying to stay away from the fire. Was he that crazy?

Chary pressed a button on the base and the fire went out. The silver claws were shiny and sharp. "Cool, no? Check it out." He let go of it and placed it beside me. I sighed, picked it up, and examined the back. The thing's modifiers were melee combo +4, freezing +3 and other stuff I didn't care about. A decent fusion.

"Well, good for you. Now, eat your weird chips." And we munched away.

* * *

Once the twenty minute break was over, we all met up at the Dark team lobby. Thirteen Fighters were rounded up, and the only one missing was Dark Pit. I sat on the bench equipping my new Aurum Palm. My arm was completely tattooed dark blue, with some metal armor covering the upper part. A plate sprouted from my shoulder with a big red button in the center. I felt like a machine.

There was a loud _clank! _

A Drill Arm was now on the floor. The thing was like twice the size of my head. "Son of a bitch!" A Fighter beside me complained. "Hey, man, hand me that arm over there." He nudged me and pointed at the weapon. I bent over to pick it up, and it was heavier than I'd expected! I handed it to the Fighter. He was squatting on the floor looking around his gray and white chest. He took the Drill Arm and set it beside him. "Thanks."

The Fighter then placed his arm into the socket in the weapon, and once it was all in, the thing seemed to have replaced his extremity. It didn't look as heavy when he held it. But then he pulled out a second Drill Arm from his chest and equipped it on his other arm. I was dumbfounded. "Do me another favor?" He asked. "Close my chest." I did him such favor and pushed the chest under the bench.

"Why are you using two Drill Arms?" Wasn't it illegal to use more than one weapon at a time in a match?

"Silly Ethan," he scoffed. "The more, the deadlier, I always say!"

"And you know my name, HOW?"

"The Kyrm knows all." He replied, then got a bit closer to me. "All." He whispered.

This guy was creeping me out. "Just who are you?"

"I am Andres, the mighty Dual Wielder!" He lifted his Drill Arms to me, making sure to emphasize his title. I'd heard _a little _talk of a Fighter they titled Dual Wielder who fought for the Dark team. He wasn't too popular, though. I only knew of him from a couple of magazines. "I'm sure you've heard of me."

"A little," I said. "I'm Ethan." But of course he knew that already, why had I bothered?

"I'd shake your hand, but…" He lifted both arms and grinned. Okay, so he had a sense of humor. That was good. "Here's a plan," he suddenly said. "Since you have a ranged weapon and I'm melee all around, how about we watch each other's backs in this match? We'll be THE PERFECT COMBO!"

I suppressed a laugh and complied to who I guessed was my new friend. He was a hundred percent weird, but likeable. And the logic in his plan was just undeniable.

We spent the next few minutes discussing weaponry before Dark Pit finally showed his face. "Sorry about that," he said. "I was trying to get a decent fusion." He then showed us his new Magnus Club. "I'll be using this."

Soon after, it was time for the match to begin. I was tossed into the battlefield with Chary and that Andres. The stage was of medium size with a large, stone tower overlooking a rocky field. The tower had a small red flag on top that looked funny. The sky was eternally orange due to the sunset that seemed painted on but beautiful nonetheless. This was the Spiral Tower.

The Light Fighters were up on a hill, perfectly in my line of sight. We waited for the announcer.

"FIGHT!"

I decided not to be too direct and dashed over to the area with a large puddle. I waited behind a rock for someone to get close. Andres took the left side, and Chary sprinted like the wind and got his Wolf Claws in action. He caught a Light Fighter off guard with speed and finished him off with ten swift hits.

My first victim ran right past me. Lucky me! I went after them and thrust my arm forward. The palm's red button flashed and a huge sphere of bright energy shot from it. It was fast one, too. I got a clean hit. The Fighter fell face-first into the water. The button flashed red again, probably indicating it was charged, which was amazingly fast. I sent another big charged shot at my foe, but surprisingly enough it was completely evaded.

Without being able to register what'd just happened, I was pinned against the floor. "Sneaking up on people isn't nice," she spat. "But that's an awfully clever strategy. Too bad it won't work on me again." It was Queen. She was clad in ivory armor, had me pinned with the gray Cancer Claws and I was confused. Then, so very quickly, she slit my throat with finesse, and I died.

When I respawned, I fell to my knees gasping for air even though my body was perfect. Sometimes I forgot Fighters can't stay dead during a match. I was okay. And Queen was on the Light team.

It was time to get my head back in the game. I headed back to the puddle area for a rematch, but instead witnessed her locked in a melee clash with Chary. He was faster, but her claws were deadlier. They kept going for a few seconds before he managed to slip behind her and strike with multiple slashes to her back. Queen was then defeated. Basically, he'd stolen my kill.

"I love these claws!" Chary panted out as he ran past me. He didn't last long; got sniped by a Fighter with a Lancer Staff from the top of the Spiral Tower. Andres snuck up on said Fighter with his two Drill Arms and beat the daylights out of him shortly after, though.

It was a good thing to have such strong teammates, but I wasn't getting any action. I'd have to look for it. So I began to shoot. A Fighter got dangerously close to me with a Black Club, but I strafed, firing a powerful charged shot per second. I had him. I went for the final hit, but then, very suddenly, a flaming blade came from nowhere and took down the guy with the Black Club before I could. I glared as Chary went on his merry way, firing charged shots at others.

I didn't take long when I was up against Queen again. She was already pretty beaten after getting rid of Andres, so I didn't think it'd take much. She cancelled two of my shots my firing aquatic blades from her claws and got closer. So I settled for continuous fire; flashy, quick chains of spheres that would easily fit as party lights. And then it happened again. Chary didn't mind his own business and came in. She kept him busy by blocking his attacks, but he eventually got her before I did. I was officially ticked off at my friend.

"Quit it!" I shouted.

"I don't know what you mean," he ran off.

I inhaled deeply and went after the sniper on the tower. But another Fighter met me halfway with his Black Club. And boy, he seemed mad. And weakened. Unfortunately, I had to counter the powerful swing of his club with my palm, which sucked in melee. But my natural strength was enough to hold him off. He got a hit in, right to my ribcage, but I leapt back and made him eat my charged shots. Down he fell, and I got my first kill. Then I kept going up after the sniper. I took the jump pad and reached the top. There he was, unaware of my presence.

It would've been an easy kill, but then Chary appeared _literally out of nowhere_ right beside the Fighter and slashed him across his chest.

"Where'd you come from?" I growled.

He flashed me a smile. "From my mother's womb!" Then he jumped off. I looked down. _Come on, _I thought. _Someone kill him already. _And I watched from above as Queen granted my wish.

I was disappointed when Chary's death wasn't the one that caused Dark Pit to spawn in the field. Instead, Andres took the fall just a few seconds after Chary. He was out of the game.

"DARK PIT IS HERE!" The announcer boomed. Literally a second later: "PIT IS HERE!"

Both angels were in the field now. That meant I'd have to choose between protecting Dark Pit or going after his twin. I wasn't much of a defender, so I chose to do the latter.

Before I jumped off the tower, Chary came up to me. "You go after Pit. I'll keep the Angel Hunter busy with my amazing claws!" That was my plan anyway.

Pit was in the puddle area, his arm tattooed in slimy like green, black, purple colors. His arm looked smooth to the touch. Symbols of a forbidden language magically spiraled around the Cursed Palm.

As soon as Pit saw me, he leapt backwards and shot a big, fuchsia ball with said symbols at me. It made a really creepy sound as it slowly approached me, so I was quick to fling my arm and a charged shot at it. My attack canceled his.

The angel then reached for his belt. I guessed he'd try to warp away from me, so I lunged and fired as quick as I could. But my prediction was wrong and I was slapped in the face with my own attack. And it seriously hurt! I fell on my butt and saw Pit had put up a glowing, blue reflective barrier. All of my shots would be useless unless I could get behind him.

So my movements were limited to strafing for the moment. The creepy balls kept coming at me and I couldn't shake them off, no matter how hard I tried. Dodging them was enough of a task, they just kept coming! I'd just about had it with the angel when I thrust my arm forward to begin my onslaught of charged shots, but then that blasted friend of mine came in with those flaming Wolf Claws of his.

_Nope, nope, nope, _I thought. _Nope, nope, nope, nope, this is __**my **__kill! _

I was wrong. He wouldn't let me have it. Apparently, Pit had been weakened enough, and a single slash was his downfall. He gave a cry, and it was over.

"GAME!"

I was frustrated. Not exactly angry, but frustrated. We were teleported back to the lobby, and I was handed a sheet that stated the scores. I'd placed last on my team, having a total of one kill. Then a centurion came up to me holding a paper bag. "Mister Ethan," he said. "Your reward."

He flew away. Inside the bag was a blue puzzle piece. It was an effect recovery level one. Not like I didn't already have it. This just irked me further.

"That was a good match, guys." Dark Pit said as he teleported in. There was barely a scratch on him. "Now, we'll have a thirty minute break before the next one. Don't die in the meantime."

I needed to chill out. Badly. I took a few deep breaths, and removed my orange helmet. My hair was drenched in sweat, as was my dirty face. So I also needed a shower.

"Oof, I am so pumped!" Andres came up from behind me, now disarmed. "That was a great fight! I took out that dumb sniper at least twice. You should've seen him rage." He boasted, a smug grin on his face.

"Good to know you enjoyed it," I said.

"Yeah," he said. "Say…how about you and me have lunch? My treat." He said. I'd already had a bowl of cereal, but, hey, free food!

So I went into the cafeteria with Andres. As we ate, he told me about his Drill Arms. One of them had a freezing effect, while the other had a burning one. It was the perfect fire and ice combination. One increased his speed, the other his defense. When I asked him about a downside, he refused to tell me he had one. Most likely, I'd have to be a better friend if I wanted all of his secrets.

We were almost done when he showed up. "I've been looking for you, Ethan," Chary said as he sat down with a bag of chips. He'd been too lazy to even remove his helmet. "Where've you been?"

"Away from you," I replied, finishing my orange juice.

"Oh dear," he gasped dramatically. "Have I offended you?"

I got up and left. Chary had really gotten on my nerves that last match. I was sure he'd purposely stolen all my kills, just to make me mad. But he knew I never got angry. Had he actually been trying to change that? Did he really want me to unleash my wrath upon his puny body?

Okay, maybe the wrath part is a bit off.

On my way back to the lobby, I stomped pass Queen, who looked like she'd just taken a quick shower; she wasn't wearing her armor. She was at the secretary's desk when she saw me.

"You mad?" She asked with a teasing grin.

"No…" I replied. "Just slightly annoyed." And that was an understatement. I just wanted to beat this frustration out on someone.

"I saw the scores. You got trolled pretty bad!" Queen laughed as she sat on the desk, ignoring the glares from the secretary.

"Don't remind me," I groaned.

"Come over here," Queen said, motioning me with a finger. "Let me tell you how to get even."

I leaned in. She whispered the simplest of plans in my ear.

"Join the Light team. _That's_ how you can get even."

* * *

**I'd love to comment, but I'm beat! I have a tournament to train for.**

**Also if you're on facebook and are interested in joining my perhaps-lovely KIU group, it's: /groups/ReadyforRebellion**

**Read and review! If you do, I'll be able to sleep at night! If you don't, you can try to find the fucks I never give. **

**ALL HAIL DA QUEEN!**


	4. Monochrome

**Derp.**

**Disclaimer: If you think I own Kid Icarus, you might be suffering from mental retardation.**

* * *

_**Olympic Bloodshed**_

**~*Chapter IV*~**

Monochrome

I munched on dry cereal flakes, sitting on a stone bench in the lobby. There were only a few Light Fighters here at the moment, since the rest were likely having lunch or practicing. I felt more awkward than when in the Dark team, since I literally knew no one here and Queen had run off elsewhere. Way to make a guy feel wanted…

When I ran out of flakes, I got up to head for the practice range. Better than staying there looking all weird. I took my minimized chest and walked down a hallway to old double doors with a sign hanging by their handles that read PRACTICE RANGE. I pushed them open to see the huge, seemingly endless field with a floor that measured distance. There were three other Fighters in the area, unaware of my presence, beating up a big monoeye. The field was magically designed to be private to everyone, making everyone else invisible and intangible. As soon as you register for a practice session, everything around you disappears and the field is left to you.

There was a small notebook on top of a pedestal beside that doors on which you had to register. I sloppily signed my name with the overused pen and walked forward, losing sight of everything but the field and the big monoeye. It just floated there with a frown like the animated dummy it was designed to be. I set down my gold and blue chest and took out my Viridi Palm.

I spent a good five minutes just testing my palm's range. It dealt maximum damage at closest range. The monoeye was magically spawned and given more bulk than the average Fighter. So, it could take a few hits. I liked how fast the heart shaped petals flew at the foe. It also made a cool sound, strangely reminding me of bubbles.

Without being able to finish my practice session, reality was abruptly restored for me. All the other Fighters turned towards a centurion who signaled us it was time to leave. We all packed up and headed for the lobby.

Everyone gathered up quickly. There were a lot of people, probably more than on the Dark team. Most were chatting or doing stuff with their weapons, and I felt out of place, as usual. Then I noticed a Fighter sitting right next to me. She had a pencil and a Black Club on her lap, using it as a flat surface to draw on paper. She was in the middle of making the antlers of what I _think _was supposed to be a reindeer, only with an asymmetric body with some mechanic parts. But, weirdness aside, it was pretty good.

"Cool," I muttered, apparently breaking her deep concentration and making her draw a curvy line by mistake.

"Oh, um," she gave a slight, awkward laugh. "Thanks!"

"So…what's it supposed to be?" I was bored enough to actually try to make conversation with a stranger.

"Bionic reindeer!" She chirped. "His name is Recon-7." I guess naming your creations is something people do.

"Why does it have a wheel for a hoof?"

So the girl gave me a lot of details about her creation, even its own back-story. She was keeping me entertained even though I wasn't contributing much to the conversation, and it was also kinda interesting. I've always liked stories. She seemed really friendly; she hadn't called me weird yet. Eventually though, the nice conversation died and I picked up my box of Yushis.

"Um…cereal?" I waved the orange box in her face and she held out her cupped hands. Poured the flakes and marshmallows into them. She stared at the white, polka-dot, oval-shaped marshmallows.

"What are these supposed to be?" She asked.

"Eggs," couldn't be simpler than that, actually. Just sugary eggs of goodness. She seemed to like them too.

"…You carry a box of cereal with you?"

I just nodded and munched.

I sat with the girl for about ten more minutes, her having finished her drawing, before the door slammed open loudly, making many people jump. "Okay, everyone," the Light Team angel shouted as he entered. "Break time's over! Get ready for the next fight!" He started swinging around his Upperdash Arm before everyone began preparing.

* * *

I was placed in this underground cave with a labyrinth-like layout. The walls seemed like they were made of crystals. There was a small bridge next to where we were, connecting with a blue, icy area with crystals protruding from the ground and forming obstacles. The bridge seemed…not very safe.

I noticed one of my teammates looked strangely familiar…he had a Gaol Blade, and my other teammate wielded a Royal Blade. I had my rented Fairy Orbitars hovering beside me. I thought about which way to take once it was time to head out.

"FIGHT!" The announcer boomed.

I started the match by running across the bridge. The guy who was using the Gaol Blade was taking the same route at the same time, bumping into me a few times.

"Hey! Wait!" I called out.

He slowed down, almost tripping, and turned to me. "Hu- oh! Ethan! I didn't know you were here!"

"Uh…Yeah…I am." Okay…he somehow knew my name…"Who are you, again?" I didn't mean to sound rude, but I'm not sure if he took it that way.

"It's me, Regret." He said, as if it were something obvious. Though his voice and hair (by what I could see slipping out of his helmet) were familiar, the name didn't ring a bell. He had a shagy body…and that's what reminded me of this guy. It was the guy Palutena had sent days ago to fetch me, the one I'd dubbed a Shaggy. He was responsible for getting me in L vs D in the first place. This was good, being in a match with him. It meant at least one of my teammates wasn't a complete stranger. I hoped he'd help us win this one. "Oh yeah, I remember you now! But we've wasted a lot of time already. We should get going." The middle of a battlefield was the worst place for chit-chat.

Regret nodded and reached for his power belt. "Times like this is why I have warp." I started running past him right as his warp activated. But I was going a little too fast; I tripped and fell on the bridge. I was okay, but I'd lost my focus, so the orbitars…! They were falling… five seconds… still falling…as if in slow motion…then I heard a heart-stopping thud. "WH- WHAAAAT?!" I'd just broken…a rented…WHY DO THEY MAKE THEM SO FRAGILE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

My screaming alerted some Dark fighter. And of course, it had to be Chary. Now was not the time to mess with me, but I couldn't do anything! I ran across the bridge to the crystal hill, meeting Chary on top.

He swung a Viper Blade a few times, blasting charged shots at me before he realized what was wrong.

"W-where's your weapon?" He asked in a confused tone.

"It…uh…fell down the bridge…" It was a shameful thing to admit. But, that's what friends were for, right? Surely he'd understand.

A sly smile curled on his lips as he swung the scaly blade, firing another venomous charged shot at me. Though I was surprised, I didn't need any plan to attack, and completely focused on dodging. I successfully evaded all of his new few shots!

I was feeling good, pretty confident about my dodging skills; but then, after a minute or two, another Dark Fighter ran in quite fast with a pair of Beam Claws, and it was Queen. She was sizing up the situation for a second, and then laughed, "Hah, what happened, stole his weapon?" She looked very amused.

"He dropped it. I'm not sure you should even be in the Light vs Dark with that little skill!" My so-called best friend scoffed.

That was it. Making fun of me for a mere accident? Getting double teamed while I had no weapon? Leisurely talking since I was no threat?! I couldn't let them get away with that, so I ran up to Chary. I was quite fast without any weapons. It took him by surprise and I punched him as hard as I could right in his big mouth. Right under the helmet visor.

He flew back and landed on Queen, who also was taken by surprise. I could see his face redden under the broken visor as I passed him. I pat him on the head with a teasing smile, which just made him even madder, then ran away as fast as I could. If anything, I'd served as a long distraction while Regret and my other teammate took care of the other Dark Fighter. I ran to the top of the main area, and then heard a voice behind me.

"Hey, Ethan, where's your weapon?" This question was getting repetitive.

I looked behind me, and saw Regret, as expected. Only, there was a Dark member sneaking behind him, slowly approaching, but I had time to answer. "Uh…I kinda….dropped them. Off a cliff."

"Y-You _what_?" Regret replied in shock.

Sighing, I ignored his next question to activate my lightweight power and jump in between him and the sneaky Chary; holding his Viper Blade tightly in my grasp. I began bleeding as the fangs dug into my skin and the rough surface scratched me, but he'd have to cut off my hand to get me to let go. He tried his best to shake me off, but to no avail.

"Regret!" I called behind me.

"I know what to do." He leisurely dashed past me and stabbed Chary in the heart with a quick thrust of his Gaol Blade. The hit pierced Chary's armor and knocked him back to be replaced with a tombstone.

"Dark Pit is here!" Mr. Announcer shrieked. The faint music started.

"I'll be fine by myself now," I said, wanting to shake off Regret and do my thing.

"But…but you don't have a weapon," he insisted.

"Trust me; go," I reassured him. After a quick glance, he ran ahead.

I was scared out of my mind, but I needed to look cool. You never knew who was watching these battles, judging your every move.

I slumped against the ground for a moment to breathe. The pain in my hand got worse by the second. Nevertheless, I got up and saw a Dark member with Paw Pad Orbitars fixing his armor; he must've thought he was alone. Since he was helpless, I ran towards him.

The utter shock displayed on his face. "Wh-where'd you come fro…"

I cut him off short by tripping him and then pinning him to the ground. I'd just have to wait for Regret or that other Light Fighter to come. The guy flailed and struggled to get free but I wouldn't give him a break, nor could he attack me while restrained. I contemplated stealing those Orbitars, as much as I hated them, but that was probably forbidden.

I suddenly felt something from behind, and realized a Dark Fighter had snuck on me from behind. I was caught in a melee combo from Queen's Beam Claws, which's violent vibrations were worse than the actual pain. Due to my other injuries, I couldn't hang on and died.

I respawned on the stairs going up to the top layer. Still no weapon, it seemed. I ran up the stairs and saw Dark Pit was hiding there! He had a pair of Eyetrack Orbitars - the bane of all Fighters with their amazing homing. Awesome. Just awesome. He smirked, but said nothing and just started blasting me with his deadly, yet thankfully slow charged shots. Left, right, right, backwards, left. I dodged each big shot with precision, but I did get hurt a few times. But that's when the thought hit me; I had the heavenly light power equipped! So I tapped my power belt and I was enveloped with light. I recklessly ran towards Dark Pit, but was too slow. Got smacked in the face with his creepy, floating eyeballs of death. I got back up and could tell my heavenly light was already running out, so I dashed towards him with a bit more caution this time. Alas, once I reached him, the light faded. Great.

I was already so close, so decided to give Dark Pit a kick. Didn't expect him to kick back (and he had some surprising, nasty leg power), but we were soon locked in a melee clash. His orbitars were more durable than I thought, a lot more than mine…I got a little too hasty and got caught in his combo. Then, he got a cheap shot in while I was staggering to my feet. He was already reaching for his power belt by the time I regained my balance and began shooting faster than a guy on drugs. Right, forward, left, left, forward; I dodged again with precision. But, as usual I found a way to mess up. I tripped over my feet and fell. I also made a weird high-pitched cry -good thing nobody else was there to hear it- but Dark Pit was sure to take advantage of this and sent me a side dash charged shot. I died.

"Pit is here!" The announcer actually sounded excited this time -not like it mattered- and the match was almost over.

I was teleported back to the waiting room. I saw Dark Pit's HP gauge was almost all the way down. I noticed the only person I knew that was there was the artist girl, but there were a bunch of people already talking to her, so I decided to claim the back corner. Eyes were glued on me the whole way back. By the time my bottom reached the floor, I started hearing cheers. It seemed we'd won. Yet I hadn't helped the team at all…Not to mention that Fairy Orbitars debt.

The announcer was late in saying "GAME!" and the battle officially ended.

As usual, the Light Fighters were teleported back into the room along with a smiling Pit. It wasn't long before they began talking to the others. The guy who'd used a Royal Blade in the match sent me a glare, went up to me, and lightly kicked my side. "Nice going," he spat before exiting the lobby. The nerve of that guy! I had enough energy in me to get up and teach him a thing or two about manners, but was stopped as a centurion flew in holding a sack.

The centurion handed me the sack. "Your prizes, Mr. Ethan." Then he flew off.

Within the sack were a red power piece and a weapon. Said weapon was a long, classy staff with a green orb at its head. Aside from the Orb Staff, I'd received a level two land mine power piece. It was an underrated power that I thought could be fit into my set.

"Okay guys," Pit clapped to get everyone's attention. "That was a good game! Now, remember! Next match will be the last one for practice. So, it's your last chance to train if you haven't already. We've got a ten minute break, so get ready."

Pit was a nice guy, no doubt about it, but his voice was seriously annoying. Comparing his attitude with that of his twin's, though, it was easy to see why so many people favored the Light Team angel.

I leisurely got up to store my winnings in my treasure chest, not at all excited about the next match, just wanting to get it over with. Maybe I could leave it to some other Fighter and sit back. It sounded like a lovely plan.

Coincidentally, when I reached my chest in the shelf, it appeared that the girl from earlier had her treasure chest right beside mine. She was desperately trying to remove the multicolor tattoo from her arm, groaning and cursing under her breath. It was becoming hard to ignore.

"Let me help you with that," I said, taking out a bucket from my chest and setting it on the ground. As was its purpose, it magically became full of water. I took the girl's arm, catching her by surprise.

"Um, okay?" She just stared.

"You have to wash it off into water," I told her, squeezing her shoulder with one hand in order to signal the Violet Palm that it was time to get off. Slid my hand down a bit slowly, and so the tattoo went back to a liquid state, sliding off her skin and into the bucket. Once in the water, the diverse colors united and solidified into a sphere with yellow zigzags floating around it. I immediately let go of her; physical contact with people always made me nervous. "And there you have it."

"Oh," she said. "Thanks." She took the Violet Pam from the water and put it away in her chest. "I just got that thing today and was testing because I've never used palms before so…yeah."

It wasn't hard to tell this girl wasn't a very skilled Fighter, but she didn't have the looks of a noob. She was _huge, _a lot taller than me and likely Queen, probably with a height of around 5'11. She had a rather robust physique, but nothing out of the ordinary. An intimidating appearance, indeed, but she was friendly. She awkwardly put her hand out to me. "The name's Brawlimar, but call me CO!"

I was hesitant to take her hand and was met with a rough shake when I did. "I'm Ethan," I said that lower than I intended. She didn't seem to mind. Then she let go and went back to her treasure chest.

"So…why's your armor orange?" She asked. I guessed it was about time someone asked that.

"I haven't picked a team yet," I replied. "So I don't have the right color."

"You must be new here then…which is great. That means I'm not the newbie anymore!" She cheered, organizing some papers. Well, good to know I was relieving someone of noob status.

I spent the remaining five minutes gawking at a drawing Brawlimar had finished the other day. She was very enthusiastic when telling me about it, but outside of that, she just made small talk. Good. I like small things.

Pretty soon it was time to get started, so I equipped my weapon and readied for another round of violence. Yay!

* * *

The oak gates slammed behind us; it was time for our next battle.

I glanced around at my teammates. I noticed that Brawlimar was using a pair of Arlon Orbitars, and that Queen was here as well, with Centurion Orbitars floating by her side. Including my Aurum Palm, we all had ranged weapons.

We were at an old, abandoned town. There was a dried-up well and a half destroyed building next to it, with several other aged structures around. If my memory is correct then we were at the Forgotten City.

"FIGHT!"

Oh man, the match had already started and the other two ran ahead of me! "You're not getting any kills without me!" I called after them. Not like they'd be able to hear me at this distance anyway.

I decided to stay away from the building, but got met by a Fighter with a pair of Hedgehog Claws. He was fast, but couldn't hit me after I activated my Heavenly Light unless he wanted to take some serious damage. He sneered and ran off to look for an easier kill.

"Yeah, that's right, RUN!" I shouldn't have said that. He turned around and I basically just got smacked in the face with hundreds of needles before I could move a muscle.

Only then did I notice it was Andres. _That traitor_…I thought, but I guess I _was_ on the Light team this time…

We exchanged some continuous fire, but finally he decided to lunge straight at me, and managed to successfully perform a melee combo. I could feel the thin spines tearing through my armor, but I hung on.

Before Andres could land a fourth blow, I ducked and slipped behind him as fast as I could. Distanced myself no more than five feet, then dashed straight at him and sent big charged shot. The impact sent him flying, landing right next to the well and missing the abyss by mere inches. Why wouldn't he die!? Instantly getting back up, he did a crazy ninja move and shot me, but I ducked again. Had it connected, it would've killed me. _But_ my body seemed to move on its own! I'd totally forgotten about the in-peril auto dodge attribute my palm had.

I took the opportunity to jump backwards and send another charged shot at Andres. It flashed through the air, and got a clean shot. I smirked. I could see him in pain, but he staggered back up, and hit me with a single charged shot. Surprisingly enough, I didn't have enough health points to survive it.

I respawned inside the building on a ledge. On said ledge, Brawlimar was locked in a melee clash against a Dark Fighter who had an Aquarius Blade, trying to defend herself with the moonlike weapons as the enemy circled around her, trying to get a hit in. I decided to help her and _carefully_ took aim for the Dark Fighter...

But my aim simply sucked. So much for 'carefully'. I accidentally hit _both_ of them, but only killed the Dark member. I jumped down the ledge and helped Brawlimar up. "Ah… sorry about that…"

"Don't worry; it's no problem with _this_!" She reached for her power belt and pressed a Health Recovery power.

"All bett…" She stopped short, a look of fear crossing her face, pointed behind me with one hand, and started lifting her orbitars with the other.

I turned around only to be met with a Knuckle Staff's solid, spiked charged shot, which had me flying up higher and higher until I was no more. FULL HEALTH AND I DIED.

Now I was really annoyed. How the heck was I supposed to beat people that can kill me in one hit?

I respawned on a ledge outside of the building. It was really high and you needed a jump pad to reach this area.

I grinned slightly. "Great, a perfec-"

"SHH! This is my spot!" I was hushed. Looked around but didn't find anyone. A few seconds later I saw Queen suddenly materialize in front of me.

"H-how did yo-"

"Transparency." She interrupted in an angered tone, then proceeded to PUSH ME OFF THE EDGE.

And to make things better...I fell right on top of a Dark Fighter, denting our armors with the impact. Well, since I had them pinned down, I could get a free kill…

I pressed my blue palm to their forehead as they flailed. Let's just say that they died and I almost got crushed with a gravestone.

I heard laughter from above, and it wasn't hard to identify it as Queen's. Unfortunately, that gave away her position. Served her right. The Knuckle Staff user sneaked around the well, careful not to get hurt, and ran for the pink jump pad. I tried my best to stop him midair, but he dodged every attack that went his way. Queen barely had time to gasp. Sniped. One hit KO.

"Pit is here!" The announcer bellowed.

Oh man, I'd have to cut off the slack now! I slunk around the outside of the edifice and met the sniper once again.

"You…." I whispered under my breath.

He scoffed. "Heh…we meet again, but you're not worth my time," then he reached for his power belt and suddenly disappeared.

That cocky jerk warped away! My new mission became to defeat that guy, no matter what. Disregard angel, acquire jerk's blood.

I activated my Lightweight power, becoming no heavier than a feather, and ran around to the side of the well. There he was.

That little jerk was aiming for Pit. "Taking your time, I see," a huge sphere of energy was shot his way from the palm of my hand. He quickly turned around and fired, managing to cancel out my shot with a spiked ball of doom. We exchanged some more charged shots, uninterrupted, yet no hits; he suddenly seemed really close, and I was falling into his trap! I tried running to create some distance, but got wacked by the burly head of the staff and trapped in a melee combo. The hits were hard, and slow, for a weapon of its kind, and I felt like I'd collapse any minute. I slowly got back to my feet and instantly dashed straight at him with a charged shot, leaving him on the ground breathing heavily. I sent him fast shots while he was still lying there, and… KILL! I'd finally gotten another!

"Dark Pit is here!" The announcer seemed disinterested by now, which annoyed me. _How dare he not find my skills interesting?_ I joked with myself.

Right as Dark Pit came, I remembered about our own angel. I looked for Pit and saw him holding off the two remaining Dark Fighters on top of the hill. I darted towards him to help right as he got struck with a flurry of slashes by a familiar pair of Hedgehog claws. Pit yelped and fell to the ground. The announcer declared the fight over, and Andres helped Pit get back up as he was supposed to. The match had ended in a loss for the Light Team.

* * *

Back at the lobby, I was glad to see no one was upset about the results. Everyone looked like they just wanted to go home. Pit, however, had a deep frown as he complained about the rips and tears on his now-ruined tunic, courtesy of 'that Dual Wielder jerk'.

As the Fighters began to remove their ivory armor, the stench of sweat took over the room, as well as the whining from numerous women, and a guy, about said smell. About twenty-three people stormed out of the room and raced across the hallway in hopes of getting the first turns in the showers.

Meanwhile, I calmly discarded my orange armor, which was darkened from the filth during all those matches, into my treasure chest. Then I washed off my palm and put it away too. I pondered taking a shower, but the thought of the open shower stalls in the men's bathroom and the single bar of soap that had to be shared was simply horrifying. Traumatic, even. Only butt I wanted to ever look at was my own.

After I slipped on my still unwashed backup clothes, Regret came up to me as I got ready to leave. He told me I was a good Fighter and that he looked forward to being my ally again. We only had some slight chit-chat before I went on my way. I mentally cheered because everyone had forgotten about the rental Fairy Orbitars I'd broken, and hopefully wouldn't have to pay.

It'd been a tiring day, and the battles had me exhausted. It was almost lucky how I got to participate in all five, considering the many other Fighters who could've done so instead. In a matter of a few hours, I'd met some new people and gotten a stronger desire to beat up my best friend. The Dark Team surely had very strong Fighters, but so did the Light Team. The two angels were cool too (excluding Pit's annoying voice).

I suddenly came to a stop when the thought hit me. I was supposed to pick a team. But frankly, I simply couldn't choose. The decision was permanent; there would be no switching sides afterwards. And really, both teams were good! Not much different, but good.

Biting my lip, I looked up, having apparently stopped at the entrance lobby. The fat secretary was giving me a bored look, probably wondering why I was so weird. But beside the desk came girly laughter; Queen was talking to Brawlimar, who I only recognized by her brunette hair. It was worth noting that Brawlimar seemed to have freshly taken a shower, dressed casually for the rest of the day, while Queen still had sweat on her forehead and had changed into her crimson armor.

_Just what the heck is wrong with her? _I thought. But apparently I'd said that out loud.

"Well pardon if I'm disturbing your precious silence by being social!" Queen said to me. "Would you like me to press _mute_ so that you may frolic in your _complex_ imagination, your highness?"

"S-sorry, I didn't mean…"

Then Queen burst into laughter again, joined by Brawlimar. "Taking me seriously? Why, Ethan, we need to schedule a day to get to know each other more, in that case." She slapped my shoulder. Thinking about it, it was hard to detect her sarcasm, but the joke had been more or less humorous. The _your highness _part was ridiculous though.

I waited for her to pipe it down. "Hey, Queen," I began. "I don't know what to do."

"What do ya mean?"

"I can't choose," and I had to register myself into a team today, or else I wouldn't be able to participate in the LVD for a while and would be fined for sneaking into the practice matches without being an LVD Fighter. "I like them both…the Dark and Light teams. How'd you do it?" Maybe she could help me decide.

Queen tapped her chin in thought. "Well…it was around three years ago, when I couldn't pick a side. At the time, Pit was my instructor, so it felt bad to fight against him, but I had more friends on Dark. So I did what anyone else would've done," oh, okay. That helped me _so much. _

"Which was!?" I was getting a bit impatient. I had a shower and a cereal bowl waiting for me at home!

"She went neutral," Brawlimar piped in. "Not everyone does it, though."

"Neutral?" It was the first I heard about it. To my knowledge, there wasn't a side by the name Neutral Team. Which also sounded like an awful name.

"Yeah," Queen said. "Neutrality is when you can switch sides between battles and fight for both teams. However, Neutral Fighter is identified with the team they're currently playing for, and score you receive is slightly lower than average, to make it fair."

Now it made sense. Queen was one of those Neutral Fighters, hence she'd been my ally on the Dark Team and then suddenly my foe on Light, and vice-versa. She'd been switching sides all along for no apparent reason. The idea was appealing to me, and I thought I'd be better off switching from time to time. Mainly because fighting alongside Chary was cool, but I really needed to kick his smug butt once in a while.

"You should go neutral, Ethan," Brawlimar suggested lowly. "You're strong enough."

Why, I didn't know about the strength part, but she was right. Neutrality suited me. And that's what I told Queen. She clapped once in delight and pushed me to the front of the desk. The hippo of a secretary wouldn't look up from her pile of paperwork, so Queen stabbed it with her Royal Blade (which she took out from nowhere). The lady almost fell off her chair in shock.

Queen did the talking for me, which was great. I wasn't good with words anyway. The secretary took out a scroll and handed it to me. "By signing this contract you will be officially enlisted as a Neutral Fighter to participate in the Light versus Dark, yadha yadha yadha read the fine print, your decicion is permanent, yadha yadha, this will be stored in the stupid godly vault, yadha, and you don't you dare steal that pen." The secretary said, handing the scroll and a pen to me.

The contract unfolded itself magically. It was surprisingly short, with only a single paragraph above the blank space inviting my signature.

_By signing your name on this sacred scroll, you are handing your strength, your dedication, your trust, and your loyalty to the battlefield of the Light versus Dark sport. From then on you will neither be on Light nor Dark, but neutral in the eyes of competition. You must swear to never violate the Fighter's code and to serve the gods, to serve the great Lady Palutena, as they need. You will work with your allies and protect your angels with your life. You will be one of the colorless, the unique, the monochrome. _

_X__

Without any hesitation whatsoever, I signed my full name.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the delay...again...ANYWAY, I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far and as well as my good friends who pressured me to finish this up! **

**I'd just like to mention that I now have a co-writer/student (lol) helping me out with this. He's the one who wrote both battle scenes in this chapter. GIVE HIM SOME LOVE. You may address my co-writer as the Yushi (thine lord and savior). **

**That's it for this author's note...I have a...non-specific drawing to take care of and some mayor Zs to catch. Don't expect the next chapter within the next week ;_; I'll try to be quick...it's just...SCCCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!**

**Reviews will brighten up the author's day, and flames will be used to light a torch with which you may search the cave where I keep all the fucks I don't give! **

**-ALL HAIL DA QUEEN!**


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